[Jesse H]

I have this stainless slide, Ruger P97, less than 1K rounds through it. I shoot it real well, but just don't like it all that much. Got it for $300 nib, I guess at the time I just wanted a .45 and this was cheap.

Well, it's been sitting there forever, and I've always wanted a 1911. Any reasons not to do a trade, or maybe do a private sale as I'm sure the local gunshop wouldn't give me much for it trade in?

[Marko Kloos]

You'll always get more out of the gun in a private sale. Gun stores need to turn a profit on your used gun, and you'll always take a bath on the trade.

Put it into the For Sale section at $250-ish local, and you should be able to find a buyer. Take it to the shop to trade, and I highly doubt they'd offer you more than $200, more like $175.

[MacPelto]

Another thing that many gunstores will do is consignment. For a fee, they will put your gun on the shelf, with your asking price on it. This way you can get what you ask (minus 10% or so), but you get the exposure of having the gun sit in the gun store, where interested buyers can see it. This way, the store doesn't have any capital tied up in your sale, since you're essentially renting shelf space from them. It works quite well, in my experience...

[denfoote]

I'd buy it off you, except that I just bought one NIB!! :D

[emann]

Yes consignment at a local gunshop is probably a good idea. I just sold a FN Fourty-Nine and a SA XD the other day that way and didn't lose to much on either one of them.

[10-Ring]

Before you get rid of your Ruger, find the 1911 you want first & make sure you know what you're getting. It would really suck to trade of a good shooter for one that didn't perform so well.

[Ian11]

6 months from now if you saw your Ruger selling for the amount you sold/traded it in for, would you be tempted to buy it again?

For the amount your selling/trading in your gun wouldn't it be better to have an extra beater/range/home defense gun around?

And esp. if its reliable its a gun worth trying to hold onto.

But if the gun is really absolutely no fun for you than you should trade it for something you might like better. But take your time and do a private sale. Don't sell/trade in your gun to a gunstore. The loss is too much and its worth taking the effort. Post it in our Classified forum, price it a bit more than what the stores are willing to gouge your for, and you should be able to find a local buyer.

[Jesse H]

Thanks for all the replies.

You've all touched up on excellent points. If I see the same gun for whatever I plan on selling it for later down the line, I'd most likely pass.

The only things keeping me from letting it go are that I shoot it well and that it's reliable. I'll just take my time and try out a few 1911's before I make my decision.